A Home for My Heart
by sugarplumdreams
Summary: Neverland is not the way this world envisions it, at least not anymore. It's the last place anyone wants to wind up in, let alone return to, but unfortunately for Killian Jones he doesn't have a choice. Two innocent lives are at stake, two people he's come to care for, & he's prepared to do anything to see them home safely, even face-off with a past he'd long since buried.
1. Prologue

A/N: After months of researching and planning and outlining and preparing...I've finally reached a point where I can say I am truly ready to breathe new life into the tale of Neverland and to give you my version of Killian Jones' backstory. Both of these are things that I've been needing since Once Upon A Time brought on the character of Hook, but because it seems it will be awhile yet until we actually get their version, I thought it best to just write my own. Though it has been a painstaking process to get this off the ground, I'm so excited about this project and I can't wait to take you all on this journey with me :) With that said, enjoy!

**Prologue**  
_"Right from the start, I knew that I'd found a home for my heart..."_

Her manic laughter was harsh as it echoed noisily in the cell. "Ohhhh," she coed as she continued to circle him. "Why…our darling Captain is in _love_! But not just with the girl…with her son as well." She giggled again, hand trailing over his shoulder. "How _sweet_."

He gritted his teeth, reflexively tugged against his shackles, only stopping when she stood before him so that he could glare at her.

She tsked at him, tapping her finger against his nose affectionately. "Who would have known you'd turn into such a romantic?"

He jerked his head away when she stroked along his jaw with the back of her fingers. Her temper flared, he caught it in her eyes half a second before she reached out to slap him. It made his blood run dangerously cold. Then she was gripping his cheeks in her hand, ruthlessly so that it made the bruises on his battered face ache.

"Honestly, Killian…what did you expect to happen?" she asked, inching her face close to his.

He tugged on the restraints again, rage bubbling fierce and hot.

"That you, Emma, and Henry would sail off into the sunset? That, like the fairy tales their world are so fond of, you'd live 'happily ever after' in domestic bliss?" She shoved him roughly away at his lack of response.

Her own anger spewed over, denting her normally composed, regal demeanor. She stole one calming breath, carefully putting her mask of control back into place. When next she looked at him, she smiled warmly.

It was beautiful, as it had always been, but it was also cold, made cruel and menacing over the years, unable to reach her eyes.

"My darling, you would never be satisfied with that life. You _thrive_ on freedom, on being a wanderer, an explorer…or have you forgotten already who you are?" She looked at him pointedly and then began to pace again. The click of her heels and the rustle of her skirts were loud against the tense quiet.

"How could you forsake this place?" her voice was a murmur, full of disbelief and hurt. "Can you not hear the whispers of the wind, the seductive call of the seas? Or feel the very _life_ breathing through it? This is your _home_, child. What, in all the realms, makes you think that you can merely _abandon_ it?"

He said nothing, feeling the power brewing in her. His body tensed, waiting for the storm.

"_Answer me!_" she roared, face twisting in her fury. She stood before him, chest heaving as she shook with anger.

She wanted to hit him again, he could see it in her eyes, knew it in the way her hands balled into fists.

"You always did have an unruly temper, didn't you?" He chuckled because he knew it would only aggravate her more.

When the magic hit him, he had not been prepared. He cried out. It was _agonizing_. The pain of it stunned him, left him breathless. When she finally stopped, he sagged against the wall, taking shallow, gasping breaths to ease the burn in his chest.

"And you always said things that got you into more trouble than necessary," she spat back, though her voice was cool, collected again. Her little magic tantrum eased some of the frustration she felt. She patted at her hair, smoothed down her dress.

"I'd like to offer you a bargain, my Lord," she said after a moment.

His eyes rolled at her, face set in angry lines. "We are beyond making deals."

He watched her brow quirk at him in amusement.

"You wish to send the Savior and her child home," she spoke it matter-of-factly.

His head snapped up at the mention of them. "I _will_ get them home," he sneered. "Though I won't be needing your help to do it."

She laughed at that. "Oh, Killian, we both know that's not true." She then produced a vial from the folds of her skirts, holding it between two fingers to shake at him tauntingly.

His eyes widened on the bottle. Then he was fighting against the chains once more, frantically, desperately. "Where did you get that?"

She smiled again, tucking it safely back into her dress. "You need me," she insisted.

He stared at her, heart aching. "What do you want?" His voice was quiet when he finally spoke.

A triumphant gleam sparkled in her eyes, but she shrugged nonchalantly. "It's quite simply actually." She sauntered back to him, lips curving up as she fluttered her hands up his chest to link around his neck. "I want your life," she murmured. "I want your allegiance. I want your _heir_, sworn to me, and I promise to send the little Swan Princess and her charming son home."

She was insane. She was completely insane.

He turned on his charm, eyes narrowing to slits as he looked at her. He forced his eyes to her lips then moved them up to her eyes, hoping she bought the invitation. She moved towards him, closing the distance between their mouths.

"_Never_," he spoke, just as her lips were about to touch his.

The angry cry from her bounced off the walls and the ceilings, splitting his ears and making him grimace. She hit him again, this time with her fist but he gladly welcomed the pain. When he turned back to her, she was standing in front of him, vibrating with magic and glowing from rage.

"You're a fool, _pirate_, if you think they won't suffer from the consequences of your decisions!" With that she moved towards the door, slamming it shut to leave him to wallow in his fear and his regret.

Everything inside of him screamed, worried over Emma and Henry...fuming that he was trapped here and unable to protect them. There had to be a bloody way to save them, he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to either of them.

Then, a familiar voice reverberated in his head.

_Damn it, Killian. Stop antagonizing her. You're no good to Emma and Henry if you're dead._

He scoffed at her in his mind. _Hurry up, then._

There was no answer, but he felt that bright spark of hope in his heart, felt it in the farthest reaches of his mind. He would end all of this mess, he vowed it, and when he was done, he would send Emma and Henry back home if it was the last thing he did.


	2. One

A/N: Yaaaay! Thank you all so much for your patience with this first update. This chapter was a monstrosity to write just because there were a lot of things that I wanted to put on the table and set up for the story. I know you have a lot of questions, especially after that Prologue, but I promise they will all be answered in time. I'm writing this story a little backwards, I've given you an important bit near the ending and now we have to go through the process of discovering _how_ we get to that point and how Hook's relationship with Emma and with Henry develops. I suppose we can consider this AU since Hook comes to Storybrooke without Cora and the story then veers dramatically off course from the show. The chapters won't always be this long, at least I don't think (LOL), so the updates should come closer together from this point forward. Let me know what you think, I hope you enjoy :) Xx

**One**

"_All are keeping a sharp look-out in front, but none suspects that the danger may be creeping up from behind." – J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan  
_

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"Emma," Ruby spoke softly, a warning tone to her voice.

She backed away instinctively as the brunette closed in on her. _Damn wolf._

"Emma," Snow echoed, her own voice was deceptively soothing. "Emma, you promised Henry."

"Not _that_," she hissed, sneering at the objects her mother and Ruby held in their hands. "I didn't promise him that."

"We're running out of time," Ruby snapped exasperatedly before casting a glance at Snow. "Is she always this stubborn?"

"She gets it from her father," she shrugged.

Emma rolled her eyes, taking another step away from them. She knew she was quickly running out of floor space; they were going to corner her against a wall and there was nothing she could do about it. Panic fluttered lightly in her belly. "Guys, is this really necessary? We don't have to do this, we could just-"

"Ems, seriously, relax. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can all leave, and the sooner the night will be finished. It won't be as bad as you think, I promise."

But Emma saw the amusement flash in Ruby's eyes and her own narrowed. "You are delusional if you think I'm just going to let you near me with that thing."

"Oh Emma, will you please stop being so dramatic?"

She winced at the tone in Snow's voice. It was so…_motherly_. She gritted her teeth and stared them down.

"Look," Snow sighed. "Ruby's right sweetheart, we'll be late if we have to keep fighting you about this."

"It'll be fine, trust me!" Ruby took a deep breath to steady herself. "On three?" she asked Snow.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." The other woman sighed again but nodded, her apologetic eyes locked on her daughter's. "One…"

Realization dawned on Emma the minute Ruby crouched low, obviously preparing to pounce. Her heart leaped into her throat. "Now hang on just a minute-"

"Two…" Ruby's fingers flexed over the item she was holding.

"Ruby, don't you dare, don't you even think about-"

"THREE!" Snow yelled.

There was a blur of motion, a flurry of chaos – it was the last thing Emma remembered before she got the wind knocked out of her and went down in a tangle of limbs.

* * *

"There…see? That…wasn't…so bad!" Snow's voice was cheerful but the heaving breaths she took between words stated otherwise.

"Seriously?" Emma scowled at her mother through the mirror they had placed her in front of when they were finished torturing her. "I'm in a green tutu. I'd say this is pretty bad."

"It's not really a tutu, per se…it's more like, a skirt with tulle." Snow bit her lip at Emma's expression. "Lots and lots of tulle…" She smiled brightly then, another attempt to soothe her daughter. "But it's going to be okay! It's just a couple of hours-"

"It's a _green tutu_."

"I think you look hot," Ruby smirked, flanking Emma on her other side and holding up a bottle of hairspray along with that stupid brush she used to violently tug her hair into a bun.

"Of course you do." Emma caught her wrist and bared her teeth. "You spray that at me again and so help me-"

"You promised Henry a costume party for his birthday," Snow reminded her, drawing her attention away from Ruby. She reached out and gently placed her hand over Emma's until she released the brunette. "Sweetheart, it's going to be okay. You look lovely-"

"She looks hot-"

"_Ruby-_"

The other woman shrugged and moved towards the dresser to grab a tube of lipstick. "What? I'm just saying-"

_Not. Helping._ Snow mouthed over her shoulder, pinning her with a hard look before turning her focus back to Emma. She smiled again. "Emma-"

The sudden crash downstairs cut off Snow unexpectedly. What followed was a series of loud thumps and one ear-splitting squeal that sounded just like-

"Henry," Snow and Emma breathed at the same time. The world stopped, their eyes holding for one full second before they were both out the door like a shot.

"Henry!" Emma screamed, sprinting down the hallway and making a beeline for the stairs. She started down, fear gripping her heart icily as memories of falling through a portal and being ripped away from him flitted through her mind. "Henry!"

"Henry!" Snow was following closely behind her.

Emma stopped so abruptly once she hit the bottom of the staircase that Snow plowed right into her. "What on earth…" Snow started, reflexively grabbing on to Emma for balance as they surveyed the scene before them.

Of all the million heart-stopping scenarios racing through Emma's head, this was the one she least expected.

The living room was in shambles. The table was tipped to one side, the couch was crooked, pillows were strewn across the ground, and there, in the center of it all, oblivious to the world around them, were Killian Jones and her little boy playfully wrestling on the floor of her living room.

"You do realize surrender is inevitable?" Killian chuckled.

"_Never!_" Henry shrieked, squirming uncontrollably as Killian tickled his midsection. "I'll never surrender to you, _pirate_!"

All Emma could do was stare, relief so sharp it made her head spin dizzily. Had Snow's arm not come around her, she was certain she would have sagged to the floor.

Boy and man continued to play fight, laughing together as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Then Henry managed to wiggle out from Killian's grasp, climbing over his back so that his tiny arms wrapped around his neck from behind in an affectionate hug. Killian held Henry tightly to him as he stood, hoisting him up higher for a piggy-back ride. He turned his head to smile at the child and Henry smiled back.

Emma's stomach clenched at the sight.

It was at that moment when Killian glanced in her direction and the breath she had been holding released on a _whoosh_. There must of have been something left of the fear on her face because Killian stooped, releasing Henry from his grasp.

"Mom!" The child beamed brightly, bounding excitedly towards her and far too happy to notice the sudden tension in the room. "You look great!"

She was still looking at Killian. Their gazes held intensely, blue on blue.

Neither of them noticed when Snow froze in shock. Neither of them noticed her turning her head first to Emma, then to him, and back to her daughter. And neither of them noticed Snow tightening her hold on Emma protectively.

"Where are your wings?" Henry wondered, successfully drawing Emma's stunned attention to him.

"That is a great question!" Snow jumped in, the sharp cheerfulness of her voice contrasting harshly with the edginess in the room. "Why don't you help me look for them? I think Ruby left them upstairs."

"Top of the dresser," Ruby said from her perch on one of the steps. There was a ghost of a smile on her lips as she sat studying the scene play out before her.

Snow gave her a pointed look as she reached for Henry's hand. "Fantastic, then you can help us get them."

"I think you've got it covered," she replied, eyeing Emma and Hook curiously.

The look on the Queen's face made Ruby roll her eyes before she stood up and held her own hand out to Henry. She grinned suddenly. "Hey, look at you!"

"I know! The tights weren't as bad as I thought they would be."

One of her perfectly sculpted brows rose as she tossed a look to Emma. "Your mom could learn a thing or two from you."

"I tell her that all the time," Henry agreed.

The laugh Emma tried for stuck in her throat and sounded strained to her ears. She touched a hand to the top of his head, needing the simple contact as he walked by. "You look great, kid."

"We all do." He sent Killian another one of his grins before looking back at Emma. "Now all we need are your wings."

Snow rested her hand on Emma's shoulder comfortingly, watching Henry and Ruby head upstairs. She was about to say something when the phone she had left on the kitchen counter began ringing.

"That's David," Emma spoke quietly.

Her mother's body jerked in hesitation, an obvious sign of her reluctance to leave her alone with the pirate, but Emma knew the prince – she knew her _father_ – and she knew he would worry if Snow didn't answer the call.

A look passed between them, a silent understanding that made Snow sigh. "I'll be back in a minute."

Emma nodded and watched her go, still a little dazed. Upstairs she could hear Henry laughing again and was calmed by the sound.

"Are you all right?" Killian asked after several beats of silence, his eyes studying her intently.

She blinked at him, her expression guarded as they stared at each other for a long time.

He sighed finally and shook his head, bending over to retrieve a pillow close to his feet. "I wasn't going to hurt him."

"What?" There was a bite to his tone that surprised her. "No, of course not, I-" She took a breath to release some of the tension in her shoulders. "I know that. You've- you've been very good to Henry. That's- It's not what you think-" She was going to say more but stopped. She didn't need to explain herself, she didn't want to, least of all to him.

Something crossed his face then as he continued to survey her. "The other shoe isn't going to drop, you know," he spoke softly, as if suddenly understanding.

She shifted slightly, nervously, under his unwavering gaze and hoped that he hadn't seen her shiver at the gentleness of his voice. That damned accent and its charmingly musical quality always seemed to sneak up on her. She should have been used it by now.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, brows knitting in annoyance as she watched him right the couch back into place.

"I think I used it correctly…though Henry teaches me so many phrases from your world, at times it's hard to remember each meaning and when best to use them."

Emma shook her head as he reached for another pillow. "I don't understand…"

"You keep waiting for something bad to happen since your return to Storybrooke," Killian told her matter-of-factly.

Her face turned stoic. The only tell that he had read her correctly was the faint widening of her eyes.

"Still an open book, love." He smiled then.

Emma's stomach flipped of its own accord. She cursed inwardly and sneered at him. "I am not an open anything," she snapped.

He tsked at her, amusement lighting his too-handsome face. "Careful lass, such defensiveness would suggest otherwise."

Her eyes rolled skyward, back going up as she refused to soften towards him. "What are you even doing here anyway?"

"Really?" Killian's brow quirked as he gestured between them. "Isn't it obvious?"

It wasn't until he pointed it out that she noticed he was dressed in his full pirate garb from the other realm, complete with a red vest and the overcoat he was so found of. She glanced down at her own outfit and dread sunk into her stomach.

_Henry!_ She groaned inwardly.

The pirate was grinning when she glanced up again. He held his arms out to present himself as he bowed slightly. "I must say, green is very becoming of you, _Tinkerbell_," he drawled, eyeing moving downwards and lingering for a moment. "Lovely pair of legs, don't you?"

Her lip curled up, a sharp retort on her tongue, when the room suddenly came alive again. Henry and Ruby's footsteps and animated chatter sounded noisily on the stairs just as Mary Margaret's voice carried through from the kitchen.

"Come on everyone, we have to go…David's about to send out a search party." She said it jokingly but she waltzed out of the door hurriedly because she wouldn't put it past him to actually do it.

"_Finally!_ I'm starving!" Ruby complained, following in the Queen's footsteps as she wrapped her red cloak around herself and disappeared through the threshold.

"Come on Mom, put your wings on!" Henry demanded as he handed them to her.

She watched him walk across the room to retrieve Hook's hook. A look passed between them as they smiled at each other again and Henry helped him reattach it. In turn, Hook placed Peter Pan's iconic green hat with the red feather on the boy's head.

Everything inside of her squeezed tightly, and she tried not to be concerned over Henry's continued affection towards the pirate captain, or her own confused emotions every time she saw them together.

Hook swung an arm around her son, leading him out of the apartment, but not before shooting her a smug look, his eyes lazily running over her one more time then meeting her gaze once again. His lips curved up in his usual annoying smirk just as his eyebrows wiggled at her. Emma rolled her eyes, grumbling as she slammed the door shut behind her.

Ruby was right about something, it wasn't going to be bad at all…it was going to be horrible.

* * *

By the time they had finally arrived at the park where Henry's birthday party was being held, the festivities were already well under way. Snow frantically searched for Charming in the sea of people, needing to speak to him immediately. She saw him standing by the punch bowl and rushed to his side.

His eyes lit up as they met hers, making her stomach flip in reaction. Then he smiled, carefree and happy, and she dreaded having to ruin it. They reached for each other at the same time, his arm wrapping around her waist and her hand stroking across his back.

"There you are." He leaned forward to brush his lips against hers.

She could feel him relax almost immediately and her fingers absentmindedly reached up to skim over the scar on his chin. It was an old gesture, one that often soothed and strengthened her because it was a reminder of their beginnings and subsequently everything they'd been through and faced together. Now would be no different – they could do this, they could handle this recent development as long as they did it _together_.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before she shattered his world. "Yeah, well-"

"What's wrong?" He cut her off, his eyes narrowing on her face when he realized how agitated she was. "Is it the kids? Are they okay?"

"David- David, they're fine," she reassured him, shaking her head and rubbing her hands down his arms.

"What is it then? You have that crease between your brows that worries me," he murmured, resting his hand against her head to run his thumb over her forehead and smoothing the line away.

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay, now you're _really_ starting to worry me," he answered, tightening his hold on her at the anxiety in her voice then drawing her further away from the crowd for added privacy. "What is it, Snow? What happ-"

He stopped speaking abruptly and she felt him stiffen. She knew without turning around that he'd just seen Hook and her face scrunched in anticipation, waiting for the explosion. When her husband moved towards that direction, she blocked his path and pressed her hands firmly against his chest.

"David," she warned quietly.

"He actually had the nerve to show up?" he said through gritted teeth.

She sighed at him. By the time she was finished telling him what she needed to say, Hook's presence at their grandson's birthday would be the least of his worries.

"You know how convincing and persistent Henry can be-"

He swore then, and she flinched, knowing he'd just seen either his daughter or his grandson, or the two of them together.

"Peter Pan? The three of them?" He pulled back to look at her, annoyance written all over his face. "_Seriously_?

"I had no idea, I swear, and I don't think anyone knew except for Henry." She smiled sympathetically. "It's his birthday, Charming. He wanted a costume party, yield just this once. Please? For Henry's sake."

"I really thought his attachment to the pirate was a phase." He grumbled and pressed his lips together, closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "The longer this goes on, the more it concerns me that it isn't."

She bit her bottom lip and when he caught her expression, she could physically see the dismay settling in him. "We might have a bigger problem on our hands than Henry's relationship with Hook…"

"Snow," he started, fixing her with a look.

"It's- it's about Emma."

David's brow quirked and she could already tell he didn't like where this was going. "What about Emma?" he asked cautiously.

Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall the memory. "Something happened between them earlier…I- I can't be sure- but…it was so real-"

"What?" he asked in growing frustration at her evasiveness. "What are you talking about?"

"The air between them," she finally managed, panic working its way into her tone. "It sparks- like, _literally_, it sparked while they were looking at each other earlier."

"_What_?" David narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What do you mean?"

She groaned in annoyance because she didn't know how to make him comprehend. "Like…" She moved her hands wildly between them to try to convey what she had seen. "The air _sparked_. I don't know how else to describe it, David! It was just something I saw, like this…tangible, electric, energy…_thing_."

"I- I don't understand…I've- I've never heard of anything like that?"

"Neither have I," she agreed, shifting from foot to foot restlessly. "Do you see why I'm slightly a little anxious about it?"

Dread crossed his face again. "You don't- you don't think it means-" He pointed back and forth between her and himself.

She sighed again because this was the one thing she didn't want them to be on the same page about. "I don't know," she laughed nervously. "I don't know what it means."

"Does it- do we-…I mean between us, has that happened?"

Her head shook, unsure of what to say. "If it has, I've never seen it."

"Well, did- did _they_ know?" His tone was becoming increasingly agitated.

"No, I don't think so," she answered as she shook her head.

"Is it…like magic?"

His handsome face twisted in confusion and made her reach out to cup his cheek in her hand as she thought about his question. Her eyes glazed over as she focused on the memory, replaying the scene in her head over and over, hoping to pick up some new detail. There had been a shift in the air, a glimmer that disturbed the space. It had shimmered between them…visually distorting, going in and out of focus, brightening then dimming.

After a moment, she shook her head, her stomach in nervous knots. "I'm not sure. It wasn't like…True Love's kiss, you know, with that pulse of magic?" Her brow creased again. "It was different, something else entirely."

He moved his hands to his waist and began to pace. "All right, well now what? What do we do?"

The sudden laugh erupted from her and she buried her face in her hands. "I haven't the slightest clue. I was hoping you'd have an idea."

"Oh, I have one," he muttered before setting his mouth in a hard line.

She rolled her eyes at that but the corners of her mouth tugged up. She stepped up to him, hands sliding down his arm to clasp his hand between hers. Their fingers twined and she took a deep breath.

"Let's talk to Blue, she might have answers…or at the very least, know someone who would."

"And Emma?" he wondered.

"Let's not…worry her if there's nothing to worry about."

Charming leaned forward then, touching his forehead to hers. "The pirate better hope there's nothing to worry about."

* * *

It shouldn't have charmed her, him in this world amid picnic tables, birthday hats, and hanging lights, yet it did and that annoyed her more than anything, including that ridiculous overcoat of his. Captain Hook, the _real_ Captain Hook, did not belong at a child's birthday party. He should have been out of place, at least that's what her mind had worked out.

The rational side of her put her back up, caused her defenses to go on high alert and brought out her overprotective nature. It was hard to dispute what was right in front of her, though. Hook was so good with him, had been nothing but kind, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. That's where her conflict lay.

He was a villain, she had logically told herself. He was dangerous. He had his own agenda. He couldn't be trusted. That's why she left him on the beanstalk, wasn't it?

There was a pang in her gut then and bits and pieces of memories of those last few days in the Enchanted Forest flashed into her mind, though only two stood out.

"_Emma, look at me. Have I told you a lie?"  
_"_I can't take a chance that I'm wrong about you."_

"_Perhaps you should have considered that before you abandoned me on that beanstalk."  
"You would have done the same."  
"Actually, no."_

She shook her head, steeling her resolve. He was a pirate. He was _Captain Hook_. He couldn't be trusted. She repeated that last one, just to hammer the point into her head.

Emma could reason through this for hours though, and she had before, listing off the negatives without pause…but as she stood a bit away, watching him sit at the table with her son in his lap, making the boy laugh, all reason flew out the window.

She didn't even _know_ how _that_ had all happened.

When she and Mary Margaret arrived back in Storybrooke after having been trapped in the Enchanted Forest, it was weeks before rumors had started to surface of a new presence in town, and even then, she never thought it would be him. After that discovery, the Charmings banned together to keep the threat at bay, knowing that Hook sought vengeance against Gold.

Surprisingly though, there had been no war. Gold and Hook stayed out of each other's way and the town remained quiet and peaceful in the weeks after, leaving Emma and her parents anxious, constantly on edge, bracing for the first sign of trouble. It came in the form of Henry's sudden friendship and alliance with the pirate captain. Emma had very nearly lost her mind attempting to keep Henry away from him, she should have known better than to try though. This was her son after all, the same boy who had traveled across town lines – on his own – to find her.

He'd been especially persistent on this specific matter, sneaking out of the apartment to meet with Hook, disappearing after school to go to the docks…eventually they'd stopped making their friendship a secret and the pair were often seen walking along the shore or having hot chocolate at Granny's in the evenings before Henry rushed home for dinner.

After countless arguments that mostly consisted of everyone telling Henry that Hook was a bad guy and Henry rolling his eyes at them and continuing to meet with him, they finally all just conceded that Hook was to be a fixture in Henry's life, and though everyone was still wary of the pirate and not particularly fond of his relationship with the child, they all played nice for Henry's sake.

Hook's gaze flickered up to her then and the second their eyes met, she felt a jolt go down her spine. It made her cross her arms defensively but she held her ground, one sculpted brow rising challengingly. The smirk that bloomed on his lips made her scoff and shake her head. He really was too attractive for his own good.

He leaned forward, whispering something in Henry's ear as he kept his eyes trained on her. Emma couldn't control the anxious flutter in her belly, watching as Henry nodded then smiled at him before hopping down from his lap and sprinting off. She swallowed nervously when Hook rose to his feet, unconsciously taking a step back when she realized he was moving in her direction.

He sauntered over to her, his gait a lazy stroll, though the look in his eyes seemed almost predatory and her stomach clenched in anticipation. _Damn pirate._

"Yes?" she hissed irritably when he stopped in front of her.

"You were staring," he shrugged. "So I thought you might appreciate a closer view." The smirk he wore deepened into a smile that made his eyes crinkle around the edges.

She fixed a bored look on her face. "Think you're pretty charming, don't you?"

"No, that would be your father," he said, stroking the scruff on his chin as he contemplated her. "What _I_ am, is far more irresistible and handsome."

Her head moved back and forth at the singular wiggle of his brows. "If you're looking for someone to stroke your ego, you won't find it here."

"No?" He contemplated her for a second then moved his shoulders up again, a mischievous glint coming into his eyes. "Perhaps to stroke…_other_ things, then?"

The chortle escaped before she could stop it. "You're impossible…and I wasn't staring."

"Oh, bollocks!" he argued, leaning into her, invading her personal space. "I could practically _feel_ your eyes boring holes into my clothes." He smiled at her again.

"Do you _mind_?" She used her pointer finger on his chest to move him back away from her. "We're at a _child's_ birthday party for God's sake, _my_ child's!"

"And your lad happens to be having a wonderful time," he countered. "You could learn a thing or two from him." He echoed Ruby's words from earlier, making her scowl.

"So I've been told," she replied, blandly. "And for your information, I am having a great time."

"That scowl on your face isn't quite indicative of that, darling," he chuckled. "What are you so worried about?"

She sighed at that, back going up slightly. "I'm not worried about anything." Her voice was insistent.

His brow quirked at her as a disbelieving look crossed his face. "I told you this already…deny it all you want, but you are very much still an open book." He paused then to study her. "It's your eyes," he spoke softly. "They tend to give you away."

As she looked at him, she hoped they were giving away that he was very much an obnoxious prat. Their gazes held for several moments and he laughed abruptly, grinning at her expression.

"Aye, you would think that, wouldn't you, lass?" He chuckled again, thoroughly amused by her. "Honestly though," he said seriously. "Between you, his grandparents, Regina, and…well, myself…that child is the most protected child in all the realms."

He'd added his name cautiously to the list, she heard it in his voice, but the fact that he'd even done it left a warm sensation settling comfortably around her heart.

"Why?" she asked suddenly, softening just a little. "Why do you care so much about my son?"

Hook turned away from her then, eyes seeking out Henry in the crowd, his lips turning up when he found him. He studied the boy for a long time. "That Henry of yours, in case you didn't know, is quite extraordinary young lad."

She waited for him to say more, to finally tell her the story of how the two of them had gotten to be so close, but he left it at that and Emma's interest only piqued more. She was about to press on the matter, but he cut her off.

"Nothing bad is going to happen to him," he said quietly.

There was an odd sort of...promise in his voice that only further weakened her defenses. This man cared deeply for her son, more than he even should, but he did, and Emma could no longer deny that despite being unsure of her own feelings where Hook was concerned, there was no one she trusted more with Henry.

"You're right," she admitted, her guard down as she raised her hand at the same time as him to wave at Henry when he smiled at them. "I know you're right. He's loved and protected and happy. I- I shouldn't be an anxious mess, waiting for the other shoe to drop." She repeated his words from earlier. "I just don't want- I don't want to be separated like that from him again. I don't think I'd be able to stand it."

"Well, lucky for you, it's not something you have to worry about." He turned his head towards her, lips curving up as his eyes moved over her face. "You're here, Swan. Right now, and _that's_ enough. _That's_ what's important, especially to Henry."

It was so strange, to feel…comforted by the fact that she could talk through her emotions with him and that he actually listened and understood, and somehow, knew the perfect things to say.

He smiled again, holding her gaze steadily. "It looks good on you," he murmured.

Her eyes narrowed as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What does?"

"Trust."

That one word sent her walls careening down so fast, her head spun. She moved away from him slightly, reminding herself that it was Henry, and _only_ Henry, that she trusted him with.

He exhaled deeply then just looked at her.

"Stop it," she said after a moment.

He chuckled amusedly at her reaction, shaking his head. Then his eyes shifted to her shoulder before returning to her face. "May I?" he asked, moving unexpectedly and reaching his hand out towards her.

She didn't have time to protest, jerking reflexively at the first graze of his fingertips on her skin. She gasped. Heat burned everywhere he touched, her body coiling tight at the sudden onslaught of sensation. Her breath shortened when their eyes met, his intensely blue as they watched her.

She could feel every whisper of movement, his fingers hooking under the strap of her dress that had slipped off her shoulder, the gentle caress as he pushed it upwards until it was securely back in place, his persistent touch moving beyond her shoulder to dance lightly across her collarbone.

Then his hand fell away and he stepped back. There was no arrogance on his face, just a knowing look and a quiet smile.

Whether he had moved away to give himself room to breathe, or her, she didn't care…she was just grateful for the space. Her chest was practically heaving and she glared at him accusingly as her expression hardened.

"What the hell was that?" she whispered through gritted teeth, not wanting to draw attention to them.

He shrugged again, brow quirking nonchalantly. "A truth you still refuse to see."

"And what truth would that be?" she snapped, eyes narrowing. "That you're a smug bastard who uses his sexuality to get his way?"

"Nay," he said quietly, temper flashing dangerously into eyes. "This has nothing to do with that and if you'd get your bloody head out of your arse for two Goddamn seconds, you'd have realized that a long time ago." He shifted so that his face was close to hers and dropped his voice to a whisper. "This bond- this _connection_ between us isn't going to go away simply because you wish it."

She met his eyes challengingly and gave him an aggravated look.

"And just so you know," he sneered. "I haven't even _begun_ using my sexuality to seduce you."

It was both a threat and a promise, one that sent another jolt down the length of her spine. She held her hands up, emotions building heavily in her chest – denial the most aggressive – as she made to move past him. "I am _not_ having this conversation with you. We are _done_."

He caught her around the arm with his hook, pulling her to a stop before she could get too far. His eyes were ice blue when she glared at him.

"When are you going to stop running, Swan?"

_Running!_ Oh, that was rich. She was not running. She was merely trying to avoid punching him in the face at her son's birthday party!

"Let. Go." Her voice was precariously soft, vibrating with the effort of barely restrained fury.

"Do you know why you keep doing this, darling?"

"I swear to God, Hook," she warned. "I will break your arm in front of all these people if you don't let go. _Now_."

He ignored her, pulling her around to face him. "Why you keep closing off and running away every time we have even a semblance of a decent conversation, every time we start to get close?"

Emma tugged her arm free, shoving him back as she did so. She was fuming. "_Stop_ pushing your feelings at me."

"You're afraid, Swan," he barked, his own anger simmering around the edges of his voice. "You're bloody afraid that what I said in the cell was true, that I wouldn't have abandoned you on that beanstalk. You're frightened because that means that you can't hide from your feelings anymore. It wasn't me that you didn't trust up there, it was _yourself_."

She glowered at him, body shaking. She wanted to slap him. She seriously considered it until she caught David and Mary Margaret's troubled stares. It calmed her enough to merely pin him with a hard look before turning on her heel to leave. She would not make a scene; she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

* * *

Emma sat at the kitchen table in the apartment brooding into her hot chocolate. The party had ended just over an hour ago and her parents had insisted that she take Henry home while they volunteered for clean-up duty. She hadn't expected the pirate to come with them but Henry was already hand-in-hand with him by the time she had gathered their things and was ready to leave.

Things between them had still been tense from their earlier exchange, so she kept her distance, walking ahead of the boys and leaving Henry to keep Hook's company. She tried not to think about him, about what he'd said, and she succeeded for the most part by distracting herself with Henry's delighted chatter about how this had been "the best birthday ever."

Henry had then ambushed her as they made their way into the apartment complex, begging with his big, hazel, doe-eyed expression to _please_ let Hook stay to tell him a bedtime story for his birthday. She was exhausted, and she didn't have the heart to say no to that face so she let the man do her bedtime routine with her son while she changed, made herself a big cup of cocoa, and moped about the day she had.

In the quietness and solitude of the kitchen, she had no other choice _but_ to think about him…and what he'd said. She rubbed at the back of her neck, massaging the muscles at the top of her spine as his voice suddenly resounded in her head.

"_You're frightened because that means that you can't hide from your feelings anymore."_

Her eyes rolled in annoyance at that. Then, unable to sit still, she rose and walked towards the sink to place her cup on the counter. She couldn't even enjoy her hot chocolate. _Damn perceptive bastard._

"_It wasn't me that you didn't trust up there, it was __**yourself**__."_

She sighed, tossing the wasted cocoa into the sink. She wanted to slam the cup back down onto the counter but checked her irritation and washed it out instead. _Fucking pirate._

He'd been nothing but a nuisance since Henry had latched on to him, always _there_ with his smirk, and his smug, knowing looks, and his flirting, and his stupid innuendos, and his uncanny ability to get under her skin in 2.5 seconds. So what if he was attractive? So what if they had chemistry? So what if she trusted him with her son? _So what?_ The man was insufferable– _devilishly handsome_, the voice inside her head corrected, sighing almost dreamily and making her shake her head in reaction. _Stop that._

She didn't need that kind of complication in her life – she didn't _want_ that.

Her mind conjured up an image of him, smirking with his fiercely blue eyes.

_Stop. It._

She wanted to pull her hair out; instead she rubbed her hands over her face tiredly before looking at the clock. It was getting late, Mary Margaret and David would be back soon and she'd rather that Hook not be here when they did…and maybe a part of her wanted him out so that she could just be done with him already.

"_Just as I'm done…with you."_

She tilted her head back, looking up at the ceiling in aggravation as she mused about how that hadn't worked out so well since he was…_still here_ – in Storybrooke, in her apartment, in her _life_.

"Go away," she muttered. It was meant both for him and his voice in her head.

With another sigh and a frown she decided to head upstairs to check on her- _the_ boys. Her head moved back and forth again at her almost slip. _Cut it out, Emma._

At the end of the hallway, she quietly stepped into the threshold of Henry's room and again found herself unprepared for the sight in front of her.

Hook sat on the bed, his back propped up against the headboard while Henry lay tucked into his side. His head was on Hook's shoulder and his little arm was stretched over the man's torso. There was a book in front of them, Henry's storybook, and Hook was reading quietly from it even though her son was already fast asleep.

The sight of them together was like a fist to her stomach. Something squeezed so tightly at her heart it stole the breath from her and made tears want to pool behind her eyes. All of her exasperation and confusion was forgotten.

He didn't look up but he must have sensed her then because he gently closed the book and set it on the nightstand, shifting Henry away and rising from the bed, though not before tucking the blanket firmly around him.

Emma blinked quickly, trying to clear her eyes before he turned to face her. When their eyes met, she cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Thanks," she whispered.

His smile was tight as he nodded.

They stood in silence for a few moments, both unsure of what to say. "I should go," he said finally.

She didn't respond right away, she was too overcome with the sudden urge to ask him to stay. It shocked her, bewildered her, terrified her, and her throat closed up like clam.

Hook sighed then, reaching into the pocket of his coat to produce a necklace for her. "Can you give this to Henry when he wakes tomorrow?"

She eyed it, drawn to the tiny circular pendant dangling on the end. It was about the size of a quarter, thin, and…made of glass? She stepped forward to take it from him, brows furrowing as she turned it over in her fingers to inspect it.

"What is it?"

"Stardust." He took it back from her, holding it up close to her face so that she would notice the little flecks inside the glass glinting as the light caught it. "From the very heart of Neverland."

Something tugged at her mind then, but the feeling was gone before she even registered it.

"It's his birthday present," he continued. "He fell asleep before I could give it to him."

She smiled softly as he dropped it back into her hand then absentmindedly tucked it into the pocket of her jeans. "He'll love that."

"I thought he might."

Then he was looking at her in _that way_ again. Intensely. Knowingly. Overwhelmingly. She recoiled, body swaying away from him, even though she forced her feet to stay still.

"I should go," he repeated, his voice tight as his expression hardened.

He gave her one last – longing? Could that be right? – look before he brushed by her and started for the stairs. She averted her eyes as he passed, feeling guilty, then feeling mildly annoyed that she would when she shouldn't have.

She pushed off the doorframe with a sigh, closing the door to Henry's room and following after him because she needed to let him out. They were silent again as they headed down.

"Um- thanks again…for Henry." She tried at being polite, needing something to say against the unsettling quiet. "I know it meant a lot to him and-"

She cut off when he reached the bottom and turned abruptly to her, causing their bodies to bump. There was an audible little gasp of surprise from her when his arms came around her to steady them. She'd been on the second step above him, putting them at eyelevel, causing him to be too close. Entirely too close.

His eyes burned into hers – desperately, pleadingly – as if he couldn't stand it anymore. "Swan," he breathed. "_Emma._"

Suddenly he was everywhere – his scent, the feel of him, his too-blue eyes fixated on hers – and everything inside of her panicked. "Hook-" Her voice was a whisper of protest. "Don't. Please, don't."

"Why not?" he asked, his eyes flickering to her lips. "Why the bloody hell not?"

Stay or run. Those were her options.

Her mouth opened and closed as words failed her, swept away by the tiny voice in her heart that greedily wanted him to take the choice away from her…that knew that everything had been inevitably leading up to this very decision.

The moment was shattered by an unexpected, tangible…_magical_ shift in the air. She wasn't sure who had noticed it first, or if they had noticed it together, but it drew them apart and had them staring at each other as dread terrifyingly settled over her body. That feeling she felt was reflected in his face and it made the blood begin to pound furiously in her veins.

Then the rumbling started, shaking the apartment violently. She clutched the staircase for purchase, her other hand grasping on to Hook's arm. It lasted for no longer than a few seconds, but fear gripped at her. There was a sudden explosion upstairs and she was certain her heart actually stopped.

Hook was a blur as he shoved past her. "Stay here!" he ordered, sprinting back up the stairs.

_Henry._

Her eyes went wide, adrenaline surged, and she was racing after him. _No._ _No! No, no, no!_ "_Henry!_" she screamed.

She was hot on his heels down the hallway when he reached her son's room. He was just about to grab the handle when a second blast happened, a pulse of powerful magic resonating from the door of Henry's room that sent them flying backwards.

Emma didn't remember hitting the ground. When she came to, Hook was kneeling over her, a worried expression on his face as his hand and his eyes stroked over her body searching for injuries.

"Swan! Are you alright? I bloody told you to stay downstairs!"

His voice sounded far away to her. All she could focus on was getting to her son. Her eyes were wide as she braced against him to stand. "Henry!" she cried, panic coursing through her system.

He helped her to her feet, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him as he rushed at the door again. He released her to try to turn the knob but the door wouldn't budge.

"It won't open," he growled.

"What do you mean?" she asked in alarm, banging her hands against the wood as she screamed for Henry.

Then Hook was throwing his shoulder into the door, raging against it as he yelled for her little boy. She stood shaking beside him, her head dazed and clouded by fear and shock and helplessness. Tears spilled down her cheeks while she continued to sob for him. She had no idea what was going on, the only thought in her mind was that this wasn't happening. Please God, this wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. Not again.

He stepped back, using his arm to push her out of the way as he suddenly kicked the door in. It swung open and they were hit with a wind storm. Their arms went up reflexively to shield their faces.

"Henry!" she shrieked.

She could barely see, eyes squinting against the swirling air. She saw the gaping hole in the side of the building, saw the debris on the floor, and her stomach heaved violently at the thought that Henry might have been hurt from the explosion.

Emma saw him then, fast asleep, cradled in the arms of a hooded figure with his head tucked in the crook of their neck. Terror froze her in place, eyes widening in disbelief as her entire world came to a screeching halt.

When Henry's captor strode towards the hole in the wall, her body lurched forward and she barely registered Hook shouting her name. Her only thought was saving Henry as she fought against the wind whirling around her, Henry – her son, her little boy, the light of her life, the most precious thing in her world.

The figure stopped at the edge of the building, turning to give Emma one last look of her child before jumping out.

The scream that tore from her was filled with heartbreaking agony. "_No!_"


	3. Two

A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for the lag in the chapter posting. Life got a little hectic the last week or so, work was keeping me very busy. Sad :( But thank you again for all the reviews and favorites/story alerts, etc. It makes me happy that you're so interested in this story! :) Enjoy!

**Two**

"_Take care, lest an adventure is now offered you, which, if accepted, will plunge you in deepest woe." – J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan_

He rushed into the room behind her, shouting for her, then caught sight of the dagger barely a second before it was thrown by the hooded figure. His insides screamed in terror as he launched himself at Emma without a single hesitation, tackling her to the ground and shielding her with his body. He heard the sharp thump of the blade as it sank into the wall behind him.

She fought beneath him, attempting to shove him out of the way. "Please, we have to save Henry!" she pleaded. "We have to save him!"

His head turned to glance at the weapon, eyes narrowing in rage when he realized how badly it could have gone if he hadn't gotten her out of the way in time.

"Stay down!" he snapped, reaching up and ripping it from the wall then moving towards the large opening in the side of the building.

Killian halted in disbelief at what he saw. A ship – _his _ship – was glowing in a familiar, golden hue and floating in the night sky about twenty feet from the building. _Bloody buggering hell!_

Then he saw Henry's kidnapper moving across the deck and passing the boy to another. He panicked, attention focused only on the child when he suddenly let the dagger fly, grunting as he hurled it with as much force as he could muster towards their assailant.

The figure blurred, moving with graceful speed and pivoting to catch the blade by the handle just before the weapon struck home. Killian's world came crashing down around him. He'd always been an accurate shot, it was a skill he'd acquired over the years, and there was only one person he knew of who could have possibly deflected that throw.

When the movement caused the hood of the cloak to fall and a mass of long, bright red hair spilled down to frame a heart-shaped face, dismay engulfed him.

"No." His voice was a shocked whisper and his eyes went wide as he shook his head back and forth at the sight of her.

A pair of familiar jewel-blue eyes stared back at him in challenge, the corners of a pretty mouth turning up in a smug smile. Their eyes held intensely, unspoken words passing between them.

Then something collided with him, knocking him down and stealing his breath. The loud cry of pain that followed had his senses snapping back almost immediately and when he turned to face Emma, his blood ran cold.

She hadn't been stabbed, thank the Gods, but the blade had caught her arm badly. He swore foully as he reached for her, his hand covering hers to help staunch the bleeding from the wound while he silently berated himself. He'd allowed his guard to go down and that one small mistake had cost him. It wouldn't happen again.

"Are you insane?" he shouted, vibrating with anger both at her for putting herself in harm's way attempting to protect him, as well as himself for being too stunned to have predicted the counterattack. He cursed again as she scrambled to her feet, her terror-filled eyes boring into his.

"Henry!" she begged, pushing against his chest to try to move him out of the way. "She has my son, Hook! _Please_!"

"Swan, wait!" His arms came tightly around her from behind when she tried to jump out of the building and onto the ship. The vessel was already rapidly moving away and there was no way Emma would have made it.

She was crying again, struggling with him. "No! Let me go!"

"Stop!" he cried, his mouth close to her ear. "Stop it!" He held her against him, preventing her from moving any closer to the ledge.

They were too late.

"You won't make it," he told her gently, pushing back his emotions. "You won't make that jump."

She refused to believe him, shaking her head against his words. "Yes I will, I have to save Henry! Let me go! You have to let me try!"

As much as it pained him, as much as panic threatened to consume him, he forced himself to admit the one thing that he had hoped he wouldn't have to: they hadn't saved Henry in time. Emotions were messy, they had this habit of clouding judgments, and if they were going to have even a shot at getting the boy back, they needed to be smart, they needed to have clear heads, and they would need reason to rule above all else.

The red-haired woman stood watching them in amusement as the glowing ship sailed further into the night sky. She raised her hand then to flutter her fingers at them mockingly.

His composure cracked at that, rage searing through him. "Ari!" he roared, silently vowing that she would never get away with this. He would _never_ let her get away with this.

She gave them one final smirk before turning, pulling the hood back over her head and hopping down from the upper deck to disappear from sight.

There was a bright flash of light, brilliantly blinding. He squinted, turning his face away from it…then it was gone. When he turned back, so was the ship, and everything went still and silent, save for Emma's gut-wrenching sobs.

He closed his eyes dejectedly, burying his face against her hair and willing some of his strength onto her as he continued to hold her while she screamed for Henry. When she finally collapsed into a bawling heap on the floor, he was there to catch her. He cradled her in his arms while her broken voice repeated her son's name over and over.

"We'll get him back, we'll get him," Killian soothed. "I promise, Emma. I promise you."

* * *

Still dressed in his battle attire from the costume party, David looked every bit the part of heroic prince as he charged into the apartment with his cape billowing behind him and his favored weapon drawn and ready to fight. Snow raced after him, feet pounding up the stairs with her own sword clutched tightly in her hands.

They'd been a few blocks away from the apartment when they saw the ship in the sky, when they felt the surge of magic in the air that shook the earth beneath their feet. He wasn't sure how, but both he and Snow instinctively knew that their family had been in danger. Both had drawn their swords at the same moment, both had sprinted towards the direction of their home without a single word.

As he cleared the landing, the first thing he saw down the hallway through Henry's open door was the monstrous hole in the side of the building. His body, already on high alert, went into overdrive – dread weighed heavily on his shoulders, his stomach clenched so tight he was physically nauseous from it, and when he entered the room his heart was pounding near to bursting.

Then the sight of Emma crying in the pirate's arms had his vision blurring red. His sword was forgotten, clattering noisily to the ground when he dropped it to grip at Hook's shoulders. Enraged, he pulled the man off Emma and threw him into the closest wall. Hook grimaced when his back connected roughly with it, his expression hardening as David braced the side of his forearm against his neck, effectively pinning him in place.

"_What the hell happened?_" David growled.

Behind him he could faintly hear Snow's gentle voice, a sharp contrast to Emma's frantic tone. Most of what she said was incoherent, except for one thing. Henry.

His anger spiked then and he moved aggressively at Hook once more, shoving him harder into wall. "_Where is my grandson?_" He bit out each word, voice menacingly low.

"David!" Snow called, suddenly in a panic. "David, Emma's hurt!"

Those three words were enough to force his temper back. He pushed away from Hook with a glare then moved towards them. Flanking Emma's other side and kneeling across from his wife who was already ripping at the hem of her dress to make a tourniquet, David swore when he saw the blood.

His and Emma's eyes met and her expression crumbled again, her face twisting in dismay. "Da- David."

"What happened?" he demanded, though his hand against her shoulder was gentle.

"Henry," she replied as she swiped at the wetness on her cheeks. "She took him, he's gone." She was heaving between words, trying to control her emotions and the bitter fall of tears.

He looked around, not wanting to believe that his grandson really had been taken, but when his eyes fell on the empty bed his heart sank. "Who?" he asked as he absentmindedly stroked a hand down her hair. "Who took him?"

Emma moved her head back and forth as if to clear it. "I don't- I don't _know_, a woman with red hair…Hook-" She stilled abruptly, her expression changing with some sudden realization. "Hook," she whispered softly, her eyes narrowing as she turned her head towards him.

One full heartbeat passed before Emma was rushing to her feet and towards the pirate. David didn't stop her, he didn't have the chance. She was already wrapping her fingers around the lapels of Hook's shirt and slamming him back into the wall by the time he and Snow had moved to stand behind her. He smirked briefly, finding some mild satisfaction in Hook's grunt of pain as he cursed under his breath.

"_You!_" Emma hissed. "You know her," Emma accused resentfully, voice suddenly strong and clear. "You shouted her name, I heard you!"

When the pirate didn't say anything, his daughter snarled. "_Start talking_– who the hell was that and where did she take my son?"

David held out an arm to block Snow from Emma when he felt her shift restlessly beside him. He looked at her, shaking his head in a quiet warning for her not to get involved. Gone was their frightened, helpless daughter who'd had her son taken away from her and in her place was an angry, strong-willed mother fiercely determined to get him back. Emma would take care of this, eradicating whatever stood in her way in the process, and attempting to interfere would prove to be an unwise decision.

"_Where?_" Emma yelled, tightening her hold on Hook's dress shirt and shaking him slightly.

Hook's brows furrowed, his eyes shifting away. He was unable to look at her. The hairs on the back of David's neck rose then and he had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't going to be pleased with what the pirate captain had to say.

When Hook forced his eyes back to Emma, his expression was hard. "There's a star that shines," he told her almost poetically. "The second from the right."

Snow gasped beside him and they turned towards each other simultaneously. "Neverland," his wife said, forehead creasing in worry.

"No," Emma breathed, releasing Hook and recoiling from him. "Why? Why would she take him? Why would she take him _there_?"

David gripped her shoulders comfortingly when she backed into him. Distress was emanating from her in tangible waves, fury simmering around the edges of her voice.

"_Why?_" she snapped, demanding an answer.

This time David had been anticipating her, tightening his hold when she lunged for the pirate a second time.

"_Because_," he shouted back, pushed to the brink by the tension and the overwhelming emotion in the room. "Because of _me_! Because I _care_ for him. Is that what you want to hear? Because there it is. It's. _My_. Fault."

Emma was shaking her head, backing further away from Hook. The gesture pained him, David could see it in the look that crossed his face, in the way he cast his eyes downward.

"The woman who took him," he continued, uttering softly. "I…I owe her a debt-"

"And she's come to collect," David finished for him, unable to keep the disgust from his voice as his eyes narrowed.

"No harm will come to him," Hook started, glancing at David and holding his gaze.

There was such ferocity in what he had said, something about his tone – the way he had spoken the words so assuredly – that was rather curious and had David tilting his head at him.

"She took him only because she knew I would go after him-"

"Why does she want you back in Neverland," Snow spoke up, stepping forward to stand in front of Hook.

That struck a nerve. Hook's expression became guarded and an itch formed between David's shoulder blades. There was definitely more to this story than he was revealing. He was about to comment on it when another figure came barreling into the room.

"Ship in the sky, gaping hole in the building and a residue of magic in the air – what in the world have you idiots gotten yourselves into now?" Regina demanded as she stormed in. She caught sight of the mess of Henry's room and came up short, eyeing Emma wearily. "What happened here? Where's…Henry?"

The silence and shared looks ignited her temper, flickers of dark purple magic beginning to spark around her. "Where is my son?"

David reacted immediately, feeling the tension beginning to mount from an already fever pitch level and placing himself between his family and the Evil Queen. He glared at Snow when he felt her step up beside him.

"We have everything under control," he said, eyes shifting to Regina.

"'Under control?'" Her brow quirked at him then and she sneered, gesturing at the mess around them. "How, exactly, do you have everything 'under control,' Charming? _Where is Henry?_"

Her hands flexed at her sides, magic glinting off her fingertips, and Snow moved forward to hold a hand up in warning. He cursed inwardly when he realized he was weaponless – not that it would help against Regina, all things considering, but he'd damn well try if it came down to it. He gripped his wife's arm, ready to move her out of the way just in case.

"Don't you dare, Regina," Snow cautioned. "You promised Henry, remember? No magic."

She hesitated at that, staring them down until anxiety coiled restlessly in David's stomach and just when he thought the war was going to start, she called the magic back. He exhaled quietly in relief, placing Snow back behind him to ease his mind.

Regina's scowl deepened as she shook with anger, the control it took to reign in her temper clearly evident on her face. "Somebody start explaining," she said through gritted teeth. "_Now._"

"He's gone."

This time it was Hook who spoke. He walked across the room to stand in front of the Charmings, to face Regina, putting himself directly in her line of fire. David's brows rose in surprise at the gesture, it was not something he had expected.

"Don't blame them. It's my fault. Henry was taken because of me-"

"Taken? What do you mean _'taken?' _" The queen's eyes narrowed heatedly as she processed the words, her mouth dropping open in shock and her head slanting as she looked at him.

He sensed the eruption before it came, and he wasn't sure why he did it – perhaps it was merely his protective instinct – but he hurled himself forward, catching Regina around the waist and spinning her away from Hook before she could pounce on him.

Magic burned from her, searing into his skin and making him clench his jaw from the pain – but he held fast, keeping his arms clamped tightly around her. "Regina!"

"Taken _where_? Where is my son?" she yelled, struggling to break loose from David's hold.

Hook sighed, his expression hardening again. "Neverland," he murmured.

"_What?_" Her voice was a roar, rage fueling her magic again. "_Neverland?_ Give me one reason why I shouldn't just rip your heart out!"

She tried to shake David off again but he backed her away another couple of feet, grimacing as the heat from the magic continued to scorch. She growled, fighting against him.

When she couldn't get free, she turned her attention to Emma accusingly. "How could you do this?"

"Regina," Emma pleaded, her voice sticking in her throat. "I-"

"_Shut up!_" she spat. "You- you said it was fine…you said it would be okay. You said he wasn't a threat…that Henry was in no danger from the pirate. How could you let this happen?"

David watched Hook block Regina from Emma, moving to stand protectively in front of his daughter. A look crossed the pirate's face, one that had his arms going lax around the queen in stunned silence. He didn't even notice when she had shoved away from him.

All he could concentrate on was Hook and what he'd seen. It was a look David knew all too well and in that moment – in that _one_ moment – his worst fears had been realized. Snow had been wrong; there _was_ something to worry about…because the pirate – the infamous, notorious, _villainous_ Captain Hook – was in love with their daughter.

As if they needed one more thing on their plate.

* * *

Emma steeled her resolve, forcing back the crushing emotions that wanted to devour her. There wasn't any time for another break down. Henry's life was at stake. She couldn't afford to lose it, not now, not when her son needed her the most.

She tried to step around Hook to square off with Regina, throwing him a scowl when he blocked her way and forced her to peer over his shoulder.

"I'm going to get him back-"

Regina scoffed, edging closer to her threateningly. "Don't you think you and your boyfriend have done enough?"

She goggled at that. "He is _not_ my- my _boyfriend_!" she sputtered.

"Your relationship with him has endangered _my_ son-"

"Relationship? What relationship?" Emma argued defensively, consciously aware of all the eyes suddenly trained on her. "_We are not in a relationship!_"

Regina rolled her eyes at that. "Look, I couldn't care less what kind of complication you have with him…the only thing I care about is Henry and the fact that _none of you_ protected him. Do you realize what you've done? Neverland, Emma? Seriously? He would have been better off with me!"

"Like hell!" She cried, anger rising so fast that her head spun. "You don't get to imply that I'm a horrible mother, Regina-"

"None of you get it, do you?" Regina scoffed on a laugh then, rubbing her hands over her face exasperatedly. "No, of course not…you're all magic-less, simpletons," she muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Emma snapped. She didn't understand what Regina meant, couldn't comprehend why she was acting as if Henry had been carted off to the Underworld. Emma knew Neverland, she'd read about it countless times as a child. The only thing Henry and them had to worry about was that knife-wielding redhead.

"Look, you had your chance. We are not doing _anything_ your way anymore, Ms. Swan." Regina pointed her finger at herself. "_I'm_ going to get my son back, _I'm_ going to save him from that atrocious place, and when I do, you can bet your ass that this will be the last you _ever_ see of him!"

That nearly sent Emma over the edge, fury burning white-hot through her veins, but before she could spring forward Hook shifted his body, holding his arms out to keep both of them at bay.

"You can't simply jump a portal into Neverland-"

"Excuse you," Regina spat at him. "I was not speaking to you-"

"You know better than anyone it doesn't work that way," he cut her off, quirking his brow and giving her a pointed look that shut her up almost immediately.

"What?" Emma's eyes narrowed curiously at that. "What are you talking about?"

Regina exhaled deeply, rubbing circles at her temples as she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. "Hook's right," she grumbled after a moment. "Entering that realm is no small feat-"

"You're speaking from experience," Snow put together, stepping into their circle for answers.

Regina's gaze flickered briefly to Snow and Emma's brows drew together at the expression on her face.

"There was something I wanted from that realm," Regina told them before Emma could ask. "But that's neither here nor there. The point is that I didn't get it at the time because I couldn't cross the portal."

"Why not?" Snow wondered.

The Evil Queen sighed, putting her hands into the pockets of her coat as she began to pace. "Neverland is…a mystical place, probably the most powerful of realms ever to exist. I'm no expert on the legends, but from what I've heard, it's a place forged by the imaginations of those purest of heart."

"Children," Snow said softly, earning a nod from Regina. "But…what does that have to do with entering the realm?"

"That kind of innocence and goodness…it protects the land-"

"Wait-" The rest of Emma's thoughts were cut off by a sudden flash in her mind – bright green foliage…crystal clear blue skies…sweet, chiming laughter. It was gone as quickly as it had come. It confused her. "I- I don't understand."

"Neverland welcomes no Outsider unless it means to protect them…or the Outsider is invited by an inhabitant," Hook explained, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Do you count?" Snow asked pointedly, drawing Hook's attention to her. "You're from there, aren't you? You can get us in."

"How very fortunate we have you," David muttered mordantly, rolling his eyes.

"It's not that simple," Hook sighed heavily, a frown crossing his face. "In my time away, there have been…unsettling rumors – whispers of wars and suddenly barren lands-"

"Neverland is no longer the realm that this world, and perhaps all the others, perceives it to be," Regina interjected. "That was my point earlier." Her eyes flashed angrily at Emma. "It's the last place anyone wants to go to, let alone have a child end up in-"

"What are you saying?" Emma cut her off, staring back and forth between her and Hook. She moved to face him as her heart began to hammer in her chest again, but his attention was on Regina.

"Neverland magic," he said through gritted teeth. "The magic that created the place – that lives in the very land itself – is strong _because_ it's pure." His eyes, fiercely blue, flickered to Emma. "Regardless of the state of the realm, the land itself will protect the children, as it was always meant to do. And as I said before, she won't harm him...you have to believe me, Emma."

Her anger was flaring again. How could she trust him? How could she believe him? This was his fault. And God did that sting. Hadn't she just admitted to herself earlier that there was no one she trusted Henry with more? She'd been wrong and it had cost her so much. Yeah, this one definitely hurt. All she wanted was her son back, safe in her arms or tucked into bed, but instead he'd been kidnapped and taken to a desolate place by some expert knife-thrower with a vendetta against Hook and she was supposed to expect that her son wouldn't be harmed and that _the land_ was going to protect him?

She could feel the hysteria creeping up her spine.

"Can you get us in or not?" David spoke up irritably. "If everything you say it true, I don't want Henry in the middle of that, regardless of if Neverland will protect him."

"It is- _was_ my home once, many years ago," Hook answered. "The land will let me pass."

Emma shifted, brow creasing as she studied his face. Something about his expression, about the way he worded his answer, unsettled her. She opened her mouth to bring it up but he kept speaking.

"Unfortunately I can't guarantee how welcome I'll be…how welcome any of us will be, assuming I'm to take the lot of you with me," he said as he looked around the room with troubled eyes. "Then there's the complicated matter of a missing element to aid us in our journey."

"Of course there is," Snow sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Pixie Dust," Regina confirmed, her face set in hard lines.

Emma's mind was reeling from the information overload. She stared at them, far from amused. Protected lands. Invitation only access. Cryptic answers. A dangerous environment. Now _Pixie Dust_? This was absolutely insane, and she was getting just a little tired of Fairytales.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," she interjected. "Pixie Dust? Like…Fairy Dust?"

"I'll get Blue," David spoke determinedly, already heading for the door.

Regina shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "No, it's different. People always mix the two up. The stories are so old, the line often gets blurred. Faeries and Pixies are more like…distant cousins. They were at war with each other for centuries. Over the course of time, however, as magic evolved, these two…strains, stopped working against the other." She sighed again as she tried to recall all that she knew from her memory. "But the fighting between the Pixies and the Faeries didn't stop and the rest of the lands were caught in the crossfire, it's why they came to reside in separate realms."

Hook picked up the thread when Regina glanced at him again. "When the Pixies began to inhabit Neverland, they added their own magic – Pixie Dust – to its defenses. It's where the tale comes from in this world and since Fairy Dust won't work against that magic, it won't help us get into Neverland-"

"'Faith, trust, and Pixie Dust,'" Emma quietly recited.

He turned back to her then, staring at her curiously. His quirked brow made her shift nervously and she was grateful when Snow's impatient voice interrupted the moment.

"Well, how do we get Pixie Dust then?"

Regina turned to look at her again, this time with regret in her eyes. Her voice was a strained whisper. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Emma asked, frustration coloring her voice.

"There's no more Pixie Dust," Regina replied, her expression suddenly distressed. "The Pixies, they've- they've _disappeared_, there's no more dust…and without it…well as Hook said, we have no way of getting into Neverland."

"No," Emma shook her head and turned back to him. "There has to be a way. How was that woman able to cross the realms to come here and kidnap my son then go back to Neverland _without_ Pixie Dust?"

"I'm sorry, darling," he sighed, frowning again as he looked at her. "I don't know. What Regina says is the same news that came to me during my time away. The only thing I can think of is that…she had a supply of it stashed away, or she knew someone who did."

Emma's eyes narrowed on him and held for a few beats of silence. Then an idea suddenly popped into her head and she grabbed him roughly by the front of his shirt once more. "Let's go pretty boy."

His gaze lowered to where she had his shirt fisted in her hand and his brow rose. "I hardly think this is the appropriate time, Miss Swan-"

"Shut up and listen to me," she spat as she pulled him closer so that their faces were mere inches apart. Her voice was menacingly low. "This is not a game. This is _my son's life_. You're the only one of us that's been to Neverland so you're going to figure this out and get us there-"

The soft rapping in the threshold of the doorway had everyone turning at the same time. Emma felt the abrupt change in Hook – the tension coming into his body – and it made her own stomach clench nervously...not because of Hook, but because the person standing there was exactly who she had intended to drag Hook to seek out.

Gold.

Then she looked on as David, ever their Knight, blocked him from entering the room any further. "What are _you_ doing here?" he asked, planting his feet and crossing his arms over his chest.

Gold smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Power tends to call to power, your Majesty. Besides, I saw the floating ship, the swirling dark clouds…and not to mention that gaping hole in the side of the building. We all did," he gestured with his cane towards the window and the townsfolk slowly gathering below on the street. "I thought perhaps my services might be needed."

Regina scoffed, eyes rolling to the ceiling. "Unless you've got a bottle of Pixie Dust in your possession-" She paused, her brows pinching together as she stared at him. "Wait a minute…_do you_?"

Hope sparked in Emma as she watched Gold, her breath holding as she waited for his answer.

He chuckled lightly, clever mind already putting the pieces together. "Neverland," he murmured. "So our young Henry's off on an adventure then?"

"If you call being kidnapped an adventure," Emma barked, eyes flashing in warning. She took a breath to check her temper when his brows rose at her tone, then stepped forward pleadingly. "Can you get us to Neverland?"

"Unfortunately Ms. Swan, my supply of Pixie Dust is rather limited. I've not enough for all of you…just enough to bring Henry home."

"How do we bring him home if we can't even get there?" Regina asked exasperatedly.

Gold's eyes drifted to Emma's parents and her stomach tightened anxiously at the way he was studying them. "Perhaps I may have…an alternate solution," he said, fixing his gaze back on her after a moment. She dreaded what he had to say next, knowing instinctively it wouldn't be anything good. "A way to get _you_ there, specifically...but again, the Pixie Dust-"

"Is only enough for one," she finished for him, understanding with sudden perfect clarity.

The cost of getting Henry home would be high.

"I'll be trapped there," she said quietly, her heart squeezing in her chest.


End file.
